Bomb on Hiroshima

Sammy Smith

AP US History

Period 3

DBQ: Post-WWII Era

During the post Second World war era, the United States was getting apprehensive about the Soviet Union’s position and what their next move would be. World War II had been the most costly and deadliest war that Americans had ever faced. After defeating Germany, the US set its sights on dealing with Japan because it was crucial to end the war quickly so the Soviet Union wouldn’t be able to involve itself in the war against Japan. If they did so, secrets of the atomic bomb would unravel and all the problems would mount into chaos, with the possibility that the Soviet Union could potentially try to dominate as Germany once had. Competition for the post WWII division of Europe proved that the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima to intimidate the Soviet Union, rather than to force Japan’s unconditional surrender.

At that time, prevention of war was America’s number one concern. The atomic bomb was feared and seen as something that would hurt us in the long run because other nations may lose their respect for the US for using such a disastrous weapon. When circumstances were evaluated, the atomic bomb seemed like a safer bet versus the Soviet Union’s association in the war against Japan (Document G). Although the creation of the atomic bomb was seen a solution, it was a tragedy because the causes of using it were not reviewed very much. In defense for the United States, we had no choice but to use the atomic bomb on those who had brought so many troubles by starting the war and those who planned on getting involved (Document H).

Niño 2

Initially, the United States’ political, social and military objective in the summer of 1945 was the prompt and complete surrender of Japan. The US figured that the Japanese Army was scattered strategically, leaving us at a disadvantage even though they didn’t have as many men. Doubt and hesitation had risen, but no one ever thought of using the atomic bomb as a...